London Archives - Page 4 of 150

29Nov

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Lovers Actually – The Other Palace

A perfectly floppy-haired Hugh Grant. A “quite pretty” Keira Knightley. A child dressed up as a lobster for the school nativity. ‘Tis the season for Love Actually, of course. The Yuletide classic gets a cheeky send-up in The Other Palace’s Lovers Actually, penned by Neil Hurst and Jodie Prenger. With Alex Jackson directing, the creative trio have crafted a Christmas musical parody that’s fun, festive, and — most importantly — full of filth. Covering nearly every base when it comes to spoofing the iconic characters of Love Actually is an excellent quartet of performers: Joseph Beach, Ross Clifton, Martha Pothen, and Holly Sumpton. Photo: Pamela Raith Each of the four get to play their fair share of hilarious characters. Beach is a gun-wielding Liam Neeson, aging rockstar Billy M...

26Nov

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Murder at Midnight – Churchill Theatre

Murder at Midnight is a new comedic murder-mystery that unfolds over the course of a chaotic New Year’s Eve, inviting the audience to watch the crime unravel in real time. Unlike a traditional “whodunnit,” this production doesn’t rely on keeping you guessing about the killer’s identity. Instead, the fun lies in discovering how everything went wrong, why it happened, and what the increasingly frantic characters will do to cover their tracks. The show stars Max Bowden as Paul, who stumbles onto the stage after a New Year’s Eve party dressed in a priest’s outfit, accompanied by Lisa, played by Iryna Poplavska. Bowden is a comic standout as an undercover cop attempting to infiltrate a drug operation while simultaneously trying to maintain his cover, and charm Lisa. His performance is full o...

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Riverside Studios

26Nov

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Riverside Studios

Douglas Adams' wildly inventive intergalactic adventure has landed in West London, allowing audiences to escape Earth by hitching a ride on the Heart of Gold spaceship with its infinite improbability drive. Accompanied by all the Hitchhikers' characters, the crew try not to panic as they seek the answer to the eternal question of life, the universe and everything. This beloved sci-fi classic has been given an immersive theatre adaptation by co-creators Arvind Ethan David and Jason Ardizzone-West with a cast of energetic and multi-talented performers. Benjamin Durham's Arthur Dent has the perfect expression of a man who doesn't know what's going on while he searches for his lost love and simultaneously tries to stop his home being bulldozed. Tamara Saffir as Fenchurch is also spot-on castin...

A Fairytale for Christmas – Dominion Theatre

25Nov

By Alan Stuart MalinNo Comments

London

A Fairytale for Christmas – Dominion Theatre

‘A Fairytale for Christmas’ returns with all the charm, sparkle, and heart that has made it a staple of the festive season. Blending Irish musicality with classic Christmas nostalgia, this year’s production proves why audiences return year after year. It is a warm, generous show that wears its joy proudly and delivers exactly what its title promises, wrapping tradition, talent, and musical storytelling into a glittering seasonal package. The staging places the entire concert inside McGrath’s, a pop-up Christmas bar tucked away in a corner of Central Park, instantly grounding the show in a sense of homespun nostalgia. Wooden bar stools, twinkling lights, and the gentle clutter of a well-loved local Christmas haunt create an atmosphere that feels lived-in rather than theatrical. This sett...

Jack and the Beanstalk – Lyric Hammersmith

24Nov

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Jack and the Beanstalk – Lyric Hammersmith

Written by Sonia Jalalay and directed by Nicholai La Barrie, Lyric Hammersmith’s new production of Jack and the Beanstalk doesn’t totally follow the classic pantomime story. Introducing the story is the Fairy Godfather (a hilarious Jade Hackett), who explains that the people of Hammersmith are in a critical imagination deficit. With an ‘imagination meter’ framing the whole stage, our Fairy Godfather wants us to hit the top level of HEIOMGN: Huge-Epic-Imagination-OMG-Nirvana. The big problem? The ruthless, authoritarian Fleshcreep Academy. John Partridge hams it up — literally, donning a pepperoni-print suit — as the cruel Fleshcreep, instilling rules such as “no singing”, “no dancing” and “no joy” as part of his educational regime. His greatest punishment for children is sending them...

24Nov

By Stewart Who?No Comments

London

Jobsworth – Park Theatre

Cast your mind back a few years and it’s easy to recall how the concept of a ‘zero hours contract’ was presented to the public as a gift to those seeking employment. Workers could choose when to work, without the onerous restrictions of a full or part-time contract. Students, single mothers, people with caring responsibilities and even those struggling with mental health problems would be able to dip in and out of work without compromising their other concerns. That was the spin. Like many aspects of late-stage capitalism, it was sold to the nation as freedom and choice. The reality has proved to be a boon to ruthless employers and tax-dodging global corporations. Even the term ‘gig economy’ feels less like a hipster lifestyle choice and more like a fun-sounding euphemism for workplace exp...

24Nov

By Charlotte MansfieldNo Comments

London

Maybe I Should Stop – Drayton Arms

Oscar Brudenall-Jones writes and stars in this one act play about Aaron, a man dealing, or not dealing, with the death of his father from Covid-19. Aaron is on a train journey to Cornwall to scatter his dad's ashes, currently hidden in a tub of chocolates. We are taken along for the ride, both physical and mental as we see Aaron's roller-coaster of emotions reaching breaking point the closer he gets to his destination. The story is told in emotional shifts between manic, up-beat clowning and quiet introspection, the lighting changing colour abruptly to signify the flip between the two states. Aaron tells us his job is an entertainer, and we are treated to jokes, impressions and physical comedy, as his abundance of nervous energy drives him to find any distraction he can to avoid having ...

20Nov

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Porn Play – Royal Court

As its unashamedly frank title suggests, Sophia Chetin-Leuner’s Porn Play isn’t afraid to tackle the taboo. At the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court, Director Josie Rourke has staged a production that’s willing to match the script’s boldness. From the off, Designer Yimei Zhao’s pillowy, plush, almost vulvic set draws the audience into the action at a perhaps uncomfortably close proximity. The whole room is covered in a pale, bouncy carpet; we’re asked to put covers on our shoes before we nestle into the space’s uniquely cosy seating plan. After we’ve settled in, we meet an unnamed seductress (played by a fantastic Lizzy Connolly, taking on a number of other roles) who slinks across the bed-like pit in the centre of the stage, writhing and sticking out her tongue in an arguably...

20Nov

By Michelle KnightNo Comments

London

Jurassic – Soho Theatre Upstairs

Tim Foley’s short sixty-minute play is a satirical spin on the film franchise Jurassic Park. Boxed up and packaged in such way that the actors themselves physically and figuratively fight it out in true dinosaur style. Set within a financially stricken university the Dean calls in Jay an academic in palaeontologist to his office. Jay is faced with being laid off due to academic losses, poor performance, scandal and anything the Dean could put upon him. Examples of failings ‘losses’ Jay appeared on countdown and lost to a ‘little old lady’ his performance Dean explained brought the university into disrepute. Jay hangs out in the student bar and is too familiar with the female students, “you are bringing the university into disrepute” time after time. Unhappy with his fate Jay takes steps to...

The Gardening Club – New Wimbledon Theatre

16Nov

By Savitha VenugopalNo Comments

London

The Gardening Club – New Wimbledon Theatre

It is the 1960s in Georgia, USA. In Savannah, five young women – a journalist, a nurse, a housewife, and two teenaged sisters – form a gardening club. Only, they have no intentions of discussing petunias or pesticides. This in fact will be a cover for drug dealing as they try to get their hands on (and distribute) birth control pills. At the time, these were legally available only to married women: “no pill without a ring”. The Gardening Club is a pop-rock musical written and produced by Carleigh McRitchie and Bella Wright, directed by Tara Noonan. Set in a time when women had precious little by way of body autonomy, this club is a revolutionary idea born out of the need to have some control over their lives. What sounded exciting on paper did not, unfortunately, transfer well on to ...